woodworm

well as someone who used to take tourists on walking tours of the town I have to say....
"inundated with tourists" from mid June to end of August are 2 streets that run parallel to the harbour and the waterfront...because the roads are too steep for most of the folks to wander uphill. the rest of the town is sleepy for most of the year. I was just there 2 weeks ago to visit a friend. and thought it looked like a heritage museum that's closed down...
most houses are now owned by 'people from away' who come for a few months or weeks per year. The mayor has been in the news lately for some strange decisions that are not helping the economy. A very prominent investor gave up on Lunenburg and moved himself to Australia instead. Those are the negative news that come to mind, nevertheless I like Lunenburg and had considered moving there at one point. But I am not sure what it's like for young families... It's kind of out of the way and I wouldn't like to commute to Halifax in winter.

cxx

Not somewhere you'd want to commute from in the Winter, and unlikely to offer much for young children compared to the Halifax area. Nice place to visit on a summer weekend.

cxx

Totally agree.

scilly

I agree ........... rent for a year.

Getting stuck with a house you don't really like is costly .............. buying and selling houses here costs more than you might be used to.

The area I told you about in Dartmouth seems to be very peaceful ............ I've heard about very little crime. Some people don't even lock their front doors when they are in the house!

scilly

As regards school .......... your children are 6, 4 and 1, I think you said?

If I remember correctly, my grandson started Kindy at age 5 ...... a pre-school counted as Junior K

Only your eldest will currently be in Grade School. The middle one would be entering Kindy in September, and the youngest has got 4 years before s/he starts, unless Junior Kindy exists in the area where you settle.


You have plenty of time to arrive, rent a house, determine whether that area really is suitable for you AND your family ......... and that means commute time, facilities, recreation AND schooling.


I would also advise that you do not rent sight unseen ............ look for a short term rental on first arrival, then look at houses.

Houses and apartments here usually rent from the 1st of the month.

flower19

where are all the rentals listed please, I looked on craiglist which is where all the rentals here in vancouver are listed and there weren't many at all !!
none in bedford where we are looking, and both our kids are at school so we need to land and rent where we teally think we might buy

BristolUK

kijiji probably

Websites for the NS newspapers too, maybe.

AdamPiercy

We recently made the move and had very similar criteria at the start and a similar budget. We have two young kids, 8 & 5, so wanted them to start school and not have to move again. I work in Bedford so liked the area but it can be pricey and one of the main schools (Basinview is hugely oversubscribed. My wife was particularly keen to be able to walk to shops etc but once she got here and we started looking and driving around she realized it isn't that important. It is a different way of life out here, you jump in a car and drive. It is just what you do. We only have the one car, so we put the kids on the school bus, she drives me to work (takes 12 mins) and then she has the car all day till she picks me up after work. We will get a second but for now, one is fine.

We live in between Fall River and Bedford in Windsor Junction, we found a property with four garages, two lakes, and two acres of land. It is on a lovely cul de sac with great neighbours and a strong sense of community. It works for us.

Best bit of advice I could give you, get a good realtor and explore. Do not discount anything. We saw some lovely places in Dartmouth (Colby Village) but they were not right for us. It is surprising how your mind begins to crystalize what you want and you will know within a week or two for sure.

Good luck, it's a great ride.

sidjoloo

We're currently in Dartmouth waiting for our application to go through. My mum has lived here since 2000.
I am surprised no one has mentioned Cole Harbour, because of the proximity to Sheerwater, there is a lot of ex-pats living there, it is quite family orientated and I hear the schools are good.
The only thing I would warn you about is the lack of GP's here at the moment, they are pretty scarse, you'd be really surprised at how hard it is to get on a list. Wherever you decide to move, if you have any long term health problems in your family, you will find it hard to get a doctor.

David_ns

Bedford has some nice areas as does Dartmouth.
Kids will no doubt intergrate and make friends easily, not so much adults.
I have lived here a number of years and met many 'ex pats' and all with the same experience. "People seem friendly enough but don't include you in anything if you're not from here".

Goody86

This is quite worrying? Is this NS specific or throughout the country?

Howefamily

It is some areas of NS.... cant comment on the rest of the country.

BristolUK

It's another one of those things that some comment upon everywhere, while just as many will have contradictory experiences.

David_ns

I can only speak for NS.
Over the years I have been here it's been the case that you're 'a friend' only when people want something, it seems to be the case with people who are not from the province.
I have friends from Toronto and Vancouver who moved here, most have gone to other provinces since.

scilly

SOME areas of Cole Harbour are NOT good, you really have to be careful.

It had a very bad reputation about 15 years ago, with schools being rated the worst in Canada for crime, racism, etc. It was not uncommon for teachers in middle and high schools to have kids missing on Monday morning because they had been arrested over the weekend.

Some of the schools are still not good although much progress has been made, especially as "graduates" have made good and returned to act as role models ......... Sid Crosby, a young black woman who made it into the RCMP, a young black man who got a university degree, etc etc

There is a large black population going back for generations, as you will find throughout HRM as well as other parts of NS, .............. a result of NS being at the end of the underground railroad during slavery in the USA.

Sid the Kid is from Cole Harbour, and his parents do (or did) live in a nice area .......... if you like the typical Canadian housing development of the 1980s/90s, with curly roads, lawns, and houses quite close to each other. We visited friends who lived in the same area, that's how I know about the houses ..... theirs had the main living area on the second storey and bedrooms on the first (ground) storey. This visit was 7 or 8 years ago, and the friends told us to be sure to take the correct turns as we left their area.

I know nothing of more recent developments there.



The lack of GPs and the difficulty of getting on to a list is not solely a problem in NS. It is bad in BC, and I think almost everywhere in the country!